在对疫情的担忧中 油价艰难守住五个月高点

据8月6日Oil Monster消息：油价周四持平，努力保持前一交易日创下的五个月高位，因第二波疫情引起的燃料需求担忧超过了美元的下跌。

格林威治时间01:48时，美国西德克萨斯中质原油期货下跌3美分，至每桶42.16美元，跌幅0.1%，布伦特原油期货上涨6美分，至每桶45.23美元。

美国能源信息署(EIA)报告，美国原油库存降幅远超预期，周三，两份基准合约上涨逾1％，至3月6日以来的最高水平，结束了为期四天的上涨行情。

不过，投资者仍对美国成品油库存上升持谨慎态度，因美国央行官员表示，成品油库存回升正在放缓经济复苏。美国是全球最大的石油消费国。

EIA数据显示，包括柴油和取暖油在内的馏分油库存攀升至38年以来的最高水平，而汽油库存意外地连续第二周上涨。

荷兰国际集团周四在一份报告中称：“在需求停滞、产品过剩的情况下，很难对石油市场做出过于积极的预测。”

EIA计算出的汽油需求仍保持在每天约860万桶，比去年同期下降10％左右。尽管如此，最近美元的下跌支撑了油价的上涨。由于石油期货以美元计价，因此原油价格往往会上涨以抵消疲软的货币。

冯娟 摘译自 Oil Monster

原文如下:

Oil Prices Struggle to Hold Five-Month High Amid Pandemic Worries

Oil prices were unchanged on Thursday, struggling to hold onto five-month highs reached in the previous session, as fuel demand worries caused by a second wave of coronavirus infections outweighed declines in the U.S. dollar.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 futures were down 3 cents, or 0.1%, at $42.16 a barrel at 0148 GMT, while Brent crude LCOc1 futures rose 6 cents to $45.23.

The two benchmark contracts rose more than 1% on Wednesday to their highest since March 6, completing a four-day rally, after the Energy Information Administration reported a much bigger than expected drop in U.S. crude stockpiles. [EIA/S]

However, investors remained wary of rising U.S. refined product inventories at a time when U.S. central bankers said the resurgence in cases was slowing the economic recovery in the world’s biggest oil consumer.

EIA data showed distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, climbed to a 38-year-high, and gasoline inventories unexpectedly rose for a second week in a row.

“It is difficult to get overly constructive towards the oil market with demand having stalled and this product overhang,” ING Economics said in a note on Thursday.

The U.S. EIA calculated gasoline demand remains around 8.6 million barrels per day, around 10% lower than a year earlier, just as the U.S. driving season, which ANZ Research called the “world’s biggest seasonal demand period”, was winding down.

Still, recent declines in the U.S. dollar have supported higher oil prices. Since oil futures are priced in dollars, crude prices tend to rise to offset the weaker currency.

“Since oil is priced in dollars, that is good for oil,” AxiCorp market strategist Stephen Innes said in a note.

The dollar logged its biggest monthly percentage fall in a decade against a basket of six currencies .DXY in July and a Reuters poll found analysts expect it to continue falling into next year.